U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00114603 · Illinois

Frost Dates near Kankakee, IL

NOAA weather station Kankakee Metro Wastewater (USC00114603), Illinois · elevation 600 ft (183 m) · hardiness zone 5b*

Kankakee is the nearest town to the station (1.6 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 3only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1950% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2450% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season188 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Kankakee, ILSpring: a frost after April 5 in 9 years out of 10, after April 19 in half of the years, after May 3 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 12 in 1 year out of 10, before October 24 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 188 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 19First frost ~Oct 24Frost season near Kankakee, ILSpring: a frost after April 5 in 9 years out of 10, after April 19 in half of the years, after May 3 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 12 in 1 year out of 10, before October 24 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 188 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 19First frost ~Oct 24
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 29 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 3October 12
50% (typical)April 19October 24
90% (likely)April 5November 5
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
188 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 6
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 4

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 19 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 27 (3 days later). Frost-free season 190 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring near Kankakee: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 3, 20% April 28, 30% April 25, 40% April 22, 50% April 19, 60% April 16, 70% April 13, 80% April 10, 90% April 5. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 19, 2023 April 26, 2024 April 25, 2025 April 13, 2026 April 8.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 3Apr 19Apr 52021: April 222022: April 192023: April 262024: April 252025: April 132026: April 8Fall near Kankakee: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 12, 20% October 17, 30% October 20, 40% October 22, 50% October 24, 60% October 27, 70% October 29, 80% November 1, 90% November 5. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 2, 2022 October 9, 2023 October 30, 2024 October 17, 2025 October 25.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 12Oct 24Nov 52021: November 22022: October 92023: October 302024: October 172025: October 25
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021April 22November 2
2022April 19October 9
2023April 26October 30
2024April 25October 17
2025April 13October 25
2026April 8season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 188 days between the 50% dates in the Kankakee area define the main growing window for tender crops. The 50% date of April 19 marks the point at which the chance of a light frost later in spring is even, while the 50% date of October 24 marks the point at which the chance of a light frost earlier in fall is even. The hard-frost 50% dates are April 6 in spring and November 4 in fall; a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue that would survive a light frost at 32 °F.

The cautious spring date for setting out tender crops is May 3, when there is only a 10 % chance of a frost later, whereas the cautious fall date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 12, with only a 10 % chance of a frost earlier. Planting before April 5 or trying to keep tender crops until November 5 carries a 90 % chance of a frost, which is a gamble.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after May 3" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before October 12" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Kankakee, ILNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Watseka, IL — 25 mi; 2 — Lowell, IN — 26 mi; 3 — Park Forest, IL — 27 mi; 4 — Dwight, IL — 27 mi; 5 — near Joliet, IL — 28 mi.INMI25 mi · 40 km1. Watseka, IL — 25 mi12. Lowell, IN — 26 mi23. Park Forest, IL — 27 mi34. Dwight, IL — 27 mi45. near Joliet, IL — 28 mi5
  1. Watseka, IL 25 mi (39 km)
  2. Lowell, IN 26 mi (42 km)
  3. Park Forest, IL 27 mi (44 km)
  4. Dwight, IL 27 mi (44 km)
  5. near Joliet, IL 28 mi (45 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 5b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 41.135, -87.8856.